On Sunday morning in a small town in Texas, a man walked into a church and opened fire in what became the worst mass shooting in the state's history. After tweeting out his initial remarks, Donald Trump elaborated further during his foreign trip in Asia.

Trump on TX shooting

Just one month after the deadliest mass shooting in American history took place in Las Vegas, and one week after the most recent Islamic terrorist attack in New York City, another horrific tragedy took place. Shortly before noon on Sunday morning, 26-year-old Devin Patrick Kelley walked up to the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas.

Over the next few minutes, Kelley unloaded dozens of rounds at innocent victims inside and outside the church. After exiting the building, he was chased off by a nearby neighbor who was also armed, before entering his vehicle. Kelley's attempt to flee came to an end after an altercation with law enforcement, but not before 26 people lost their lives, including children, with many others being reported as injured. As expected, the reaction was partisan, as Democrats used it as an opportunity to revive the gun control debate, while Republicans tried to downplay the issue and deflect. Donald Trump gave his first thoughts during a tweet earlier on Sunday, but went into further detail while taking part in a press conference with the prime minister of Japan, as reported by ABC News on November 6.

During a press conference in Japan on Monday, Donald Trump was asked about the mass shooting in Texas, and whether or not gun control should be a topic of discussion.

"I think mental health is your problem here," Trump said. "This was a very, based on preliminary reports, a very deranged individual," he continued.

"We have a lot of mental problems in our country," Donald Trump went on to say.

"This isn't a gun situation. We can go into it, but it's a little soon to go into," the president continued. "Fortunately someone else had a gun shooting in the opposition direction," Trump added. "This is a mental health issue at the highest level," he stated, before concluding, "that's the way I view it."

Twitter reacts

As expected, Donald Trump's response was met by instant backlash from his critics. "He has mental problems," one tweet read.

"His solution: dissolve Obama care and decrease health care benefits," a Twitter user pointed out.

"How does this guy say this sh*t with a straight face? Unbelievable!! 45 has the mental illness," another tweet stated.

"Well, he’s partially right about a mental problem at the highest level-his presidency. Aside from that, stop letting big co buy politicians," another social media user wrote. "He should know. Trump is plagued with mental health issues. As he leads, so they follow," a follow-up tweet read. The negative response to Donald Trump continued as the debate over gun control and mass shootings moved forward.
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